Member-only story
How We Stopped The Grand National
They Thought They Were Untouchable — They Were Wrong
This week will see the sick spectacle of the Grand National Steeplechase in Aintree, Liverpool, an annual festival of animal exploitation and oppression that has seen at least 59 horses ridden to death since the year 2000.
Following a successful and high-profile protest by animal rights activists at last year’s event, police are reportedly spending an obscene amount of taxpayers’ money to throw a “ring of steel” around the event and make sure nobody is allowed to disrupt this cruel and abusive horse race this year.
That the state will go to such lengths and such expense to protect the interests of this unscrupulous and archaic industry is, in my opinion, a national disgrace.
That they feel the need to go to such lengths, however, gives me hope that times and attitudes are changing and that the days of such exploitative and barbaric ‘sports’ are numbered.
The end has been a long time coming and is long overdue. We have been campaigning against this race for a long time. In fact, back in 1993 we managed to stop the Grand National completely, costing the profiteers £75 million (equivalent to over £150 million today).
